Iconic pop art on display in Alice Springs

The National Gallery of Australia has an extensive collection of work by the legendary pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, and a travelling exhibition of a select few has made a stop at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs.

Exhibition Curator Jaklyn Babington says the NGA thinks it's important to collect Lichtenstein's work because he is a major figure in American Art

"Alongside (Andy) Warhol he was definitely one of the two most significant pop artists, we try to collect the best of the best and I think we're probably up around the 300 mark with Roy Lichtenstein works, but this is just a selection so there's probably about 80 works in this travelling exhibition," she says.

The exhibition takes up two of Araluen's gallery spaces and feature work from the 1950's right through to the 1990's.

Jaklyn Babington says the exhibition shows how much the artists style changed over the decades.

"We start with a very early set of prints, they're wood cuts, and when you first look at them they don't look anything like Roy Lichtenstein's work as we've come to know it.

"As the exhibition develops you can see his transition in style which becomes much bigger, much more about clashing colours, a lot of yellow, reds and oranges," she says.

You can read more about the exhibition here, or click on the audio to hear the extended interview with Jaklyn Babington.

The exhibition is on display at the Araluen Arts Centre until June 10.